Prologue

Dark magic has always come with a great sacrifice, but if I’m the last to make it, then my daughter will be able to live without a shadow over her soul. I knew from the second I took my throne that there was a chance that the darkness I inherited would consume me, swallow me whole and take me away from everything that I possibly could ever love and care for. My parents, in the end, succumbed to the darkness of the shadows, to the magic of this place that makes us powerful but takes so much too.

There’s nothing solid here, under the depths of the fifth court castle, in the pitch empty darkness. Nothing good, nothing of light, of love, but plenty of darkness and magic that is woven into it. I think back to the ancient mating ceremonies that were held down here before the darkness once, so very long ago. My parents warned me never to come down here, never to bargain with the darkness, that nothing good ever came from it.

That can’t be true. This place gave my daughter a mate. Terrin was born in the darkness, his sister not long after, and they are good souls. They have pure souls. I have to trust that, even through the darkness, there is something like hope building down here. Either way, it’s the power that I need, and I cannot go another day without.

I touch my hands onto the cold stone at my feet as I kneel, pulling the darkness around me to open a portal, a glimpse into another world, using every bit of strength that I have. The castle cracks and groans, shaking under my knees, but I don’t release my hold.

It won’t be long now until Ares is set free, and I need to be prepared. Through my research across the courts, I found out so much about the gods that came to our world, claiming to be here in peace. Ares killed a prince of the Earth Court only three weeks into being here, and when they sent his body to the Mists—Ares returned wearing the prince’s body like his own. We can’t kill him. My ancestors tried so many times, and it never worked. Aphrodite can be killed. I found no mention of the same curse.

I need to have a way to save my people and make sure that Ares can’t ruin my world. My father once talked about making a deal with a god from another world, but he’s more than a god—he’s a titan. That powerful titan now comes into view on the other side of the portal, and a shiver snakes down my spine.

He is sitting on an old rusty stone throne in a room that’s empty and cold. There’s nothing but ash falling around him like snow, matching the colour of his long grey hair and silver eyes. He looks up, some part of a surprise registering in the depth of his grey eyes that shakes me to my core. “Welcome from our world. What crown do you bear?”

“The fifth court,” I answer, compelled to. “You are the grandfather of the gods, and I am here to plead for your help because they are invading my world.”

His bones, his very body, seems to crack as he stands up off the throne and walks towards the portal. The portal’s not big enough for him to get through. It’s merely a glimpse like a window between the worlds, and it’s draining me of magic with every second that passes. I’ll be weak, weak for months if not years after this, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Ares is coming, and he’s going to slaughter my people, kill my daughter and wife, and destroy our world. “Ares is a creation of yours, distant, but a creation, nonetheless. The god of war must be stopped. Help me, as you helped my grandfathers before.”

“Spirit King.” Grey shadows dance around his body, around his shoulders. “There will be a price. I want something in return for offering you a way to save them.”

A sense of dread settles into my chest, making my heart thump so loud in my ears. “What’s your price?”

“I see realities in the ash, in the shadows, and they keep me company.” Cronus tilts his head to the side, his grey hair falling down his shoulders. “I wish for a future I’ve seen, and only you can make it possible for me. Your people will survive, and one day, you will bring them all here to make a new home. I will name the city, and you will all serve me. In return, I’ll give you a sword that was made in hell. The sword is powered by death, and if you plunge it into your own body, you will get one wish of dark magic.”

One wish? I will wish to save my family and people, to keep them safe. “What you ask?—”

“Your wish. I’ve seen it in so many realities. You will transform all your people into dragons. They’ll be safe with the boy born in the darkness you are standing in. The boy destined to be king.” Cronus laughs, and the sound is anything but nice. “I’ve foreseen the death of your court, and this is the only way you will win. Your princess will survive too, and she will be exceptional.”

Pride burns as hot as dragon fire in my heart. “And my wife?”

“She will survive, yet she will wish that she didn’t.” A sword appears in his hand, a black glistening blade. I can feel its power even through the portal, even through the space between our worlds.

My hands itch to touch the sword, to taste the magic. “How can I pay you back if I die using the sword?”

His smile cracks the skin around his lips. “Then your daughter will keep the bargain to break the spell. I foresaw it all and I always win. Take the sword, and you’ll know when to use it.”

I don’t take my eyes off the blade. “I’ll die.”

“Yes, but your death will mean something. Without the sword, you still die, and it means nothing.” I sense the truth in his words because I’ve seen that future. I’ve seen everyone I know and love die—the people I swore to protect dead and the Spirit Court gone. I have to give them a chance, give my daughter a chance to be a queen one day. I’m so proud of her and she is only a baby right now. I want forever with her, to watch her find her mate and have her own children. I want to watch her live, really live, but I know there isn’t a chance of that.

The magic is draining my soul, and I can feel it pulling more on me. I know I don’t have much longer to make my choice. The knowing look in Cronus’s eyes tells me he knows the decision has been made. I wrap my hand around the hilt of the sword, almost like wrapping a hand around death itself, embracing it. The deal binds my soul to the titan, whispering the feeling of chains around my neck. I pull it through the worlds, feeling its power echoing through me as it greets me like a friend. A dark, old, and strange voice fills my head from the blade. “Taste death on my blade, and we will be forever one.”

Cronus walks away to his throne, to wait out his deal as the sword talks in my mind, promising me the world in exchange for death. As the portal closes, the last of the light in this dark place disappearing, Cronus’s voice echoes to me. “Be a father she will be honoured to have, Spirit King.”